Thursday, 15 April 2010

Nicks grill

I don't often eat pizza or pasta but this place is just round the corner from where my friend lives and she said it is always busy, so that usually being a good sign, we decided to go for lunch. It is owned by the same people who own Antipasti, and certainly one of Antipasti's staples, gnocchi with pesto featured on the menu. This was a generous size portion and would be a meal in itself. I prefer my gnocchi slightly more crispy, but the sauce was rich and tasty. The pizzas were thin base, could have been more crispy but the toppings were fresh. I had the parma ruccola, which measured up favorably to the one at the Big Blue.

If I ate pasta I would go there, for pizza I prefer Little Italy but for a sit down meal this is not bad. The denizens of Hyndland certainly seem to like it. Guess the walk to Byres road is just a bit too much.

Rumours Kopitiam

This is apparently the sister restaurant to Asia Style which is closed for refurb at the mo. Not knowing how long it is going to be shut we went into town, to Rumours, hoping to find some of our favourites. It's a very small place and was pretty busy for a Tuesday night.
The roti canai was great, very fresh with spicy curry sauce. The garlic chili prawns were more heavily battered than at asia style where they come with a light rice flour pepper coating, the portions were smaller but, it was a stater portion. The Malaysian style kung po had the taste of that pre-fried chicken coated in batter that you get in many small Scottish town Chinese restaurants. I didn't like it on the Tuesday evening but bizarrely on Wednesday the left overs were quite addictive?! The sliced beef in pepper sauce was very good, tender strips of beef in hot peppery sauce that tasted of cognac. We asked for morning glory done just in garlic and ginger and this was superb, very fresh.

I can't decide if I would go back. I kept comparing it to Asia Style which is unfair. I did enjoy it it and I certainly enjoyed the leftovers!

Crabshakk

No photos for this one, but I ate pretty much what I had the last time, so you could look at those photos If you really wanted to.

Much the same as before-friendly chatty service. Excellent squid, perfectly cooked not a chew in sight. Very generous tasty fish and chips. Chips perfectly cooked again. All very tasty and congenial. Go.

velvet elvis



I like Pinxto next door although, I wish they would serve padron and some decent pan am tomate. The owner bought the premises next door to stave off competition and it seems to have worked.




The styling is retro cool and the service was very good. The little one was with us and they were very accommodating to us.

The lunch menu has a very good value offer two courses for ten quid.


I had the mussels off this menu, good size, not too many closed ones, no grit, creamy rich garlicky sauce-all very good for dunking bread in.


HI loves chowder but was disappointed by the selection of fish in his, it was altogether too lumpy and creamy for our liking.


The steak pie was huge and had decent bits of meat in it.


My burger was too finely ground for my liking and had other stuff (tomato lettuce relish) in it that I don't like. Stravaigin still wins.
So, yes if I was down this end I would definitely make a bee line for it, the lunch deal can't be beat.

Wednesday, 14 April 2010

lazy blogger

Right, I have no excuse other than sloth to explain why I have not posted since February, well maybe a 9 month old baby and recurrent attacks of the lurgy are part of it but really come on, I must pull my socks up.

As a way to spur myself on here is a list of posts I need to do:

from the March(!) trip to London
St John bread and wine
Hawksmoor burger
Harwood Arms
La Trompette

from recent forays in Glasgow
nicks grill
rumours kopitiam
piece
thai siam
bibi's canteena
velvet elvis

aargh..